Time to take a small break from the Buccaneer Blogfest and, instead, pop on over to the Hookers and Hangers Blogfest.
This one is hosted by the group at Falling for Fiction and is about the first and last lines in our chapters and getting them polished to a state that makes a reader wait to keep on reading.
Today it’s all about the Hookers, and by that I mean the first sentence of a chapter (get your minds out of the gutter people, this ain’t about sports).
I can’t deny this was a hard, hard choice for me. It always is. I’m constantly plagued by the question of what one to use. Do I go for the favourite and do The Rogue King? Or should I toss the smaller sample of the incomplete Dark One’s Mistress? What of Dragon? But no! I have rested my choice on what I see as the darker, middle child of my writing (the black sheep, if you will).
My paranormal novella Golden Dawn.
Now, as we can post the first sentence of as many chapters as we want, I’ve chosen to do the whole lot.
Prologue: Moonlight glittered upon the frost-shrouded road.
Chapter One: Winter cloaked the valley in the whiteness creeping down from the mountains.
Chapter Two: Herald had climbed the eastern tower but once in his life.
Chapter Three: He raced down the tower steps and onwards through the hallways.
Chapter Four: The sound of people moving about the castle reached his ears as he made his way to the tower steps.
Chapter Five: There’d been only one time when they’d never had humans in the valley.
Chapter Six: Darkness ruled.
Chapter Seven: Half aware he slept, Herald shrugged a shoulder and rolled over.
Chapter Eight: Opening his eyes, he stared at the blank wall before him.
Chapter Nine: He thumped a fist against the shutters.
Chapter Ten: The sun set, urging him to wake.
Chapter Eleven: He lay in a bed.
Chapter Twelve: Gasping, Herald sat up.
Chapter Thirteen:His sister slipped, falling off the window sill, dragging him close to the edge.
Chapter Fourteen:Acarna took a small step back, face blank.
Chapter Fifteen: He leant against the crystal and stared out at the grey clouds churning in their gentle snow-heavy swirls.
Chapter Sixteen: Herald strode into the courtyard.
Chapter Seventeen:He awoke in darkness.
Chapter Eighteen:The subtle squeak of hinges reached him as the last drop of blood touched his lips.
Chapter Nineteen:He raced through the corridors, crashing into people and near tumbling down the stairs in his haste.
Chapter Twenty: Herald clutched his arm.
Chapter Twenty-One:No guards lurked near the bottom of the tower.
Chapter Twenty-Two:He brushed her hair aside, his mouth seeking her neck.
Chapter Twenty-Three:Herald stalked the corridors.
Chapter Twenty-Four:“So it comes to this.”
Chapter Twenty-Five:He climbed the coiling stairway, each step coming woodenly.
Epilogue: Acarna rose above the towers.
As with your excerpts for the Buccaneer Blogfest, these were fantastic. Your use of descriptive language awes me. I especially liked this one: Winter cloaked the valley in the whiteness creeping down from the mountains. – so evocative.
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I loved your first chapter line, it's so much to mind 🙂
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So fun! Love the one “So it comes to this?”! Great voice!
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Your hooks are nice. 'Darkness ruled' I like that. 🙂
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They were the very first words I wrote for this story. ^_^
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Thanks. ^_^
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Oddly enough, that line used to be in the middle of a chapter.
Then I split them (along with others). ^_^ The story flows much better now.
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^_^
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These hookers really do a great job of displaying the setting and the feel for the story. Great job! Can't wait to read your hangers.
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Thank you. ^_^
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The first two are beautiful! Great imagery!
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^_^ Thanks.
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You're writing is stunning. Love it. I can get such a feeling for your story from these. Well done!
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I love the ones for 13 and 24! It definitely makes me wanna read more.
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Aww, thank you. ^_^
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*snicker* Just you wait until you see my hangers. ^_^
Wait, that came out wrong …
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These are really and truly fantastic. You can wri-ite! You definitely hooked me. I'll be checking out your stuff for the other bloghop now! Cheers, Jeannette
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Thank you. ^_^ They all recently got laid out this way.
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Did someone say castle? Consider me hooked! Great job:)
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^_^ Can you believe most of the story happens in one tower?
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You have excellent imagery! Love it!
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Why thank you. ^_^
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This sounds like an amazing story. I have to read it! I love the elegance of your writing. I like 18, and six is nicely ominous.
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Heh. That's one of my favs too, alongside 22. ^_^
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You have a great feel for using description beautifully in your writing. Enjoyed your hooks..
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Awesome hookers! I especially love the use of cold weather, because well, I hate summer, and heat 🙂 Looking forward to hangers!
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Thanks. Just got shot me down because of the descriptions.
Ah well. There are other publishers.
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You can have my winter. I can't stand the cold weather, the wind, the rain.
Fortunately, no snow this year. I'm part lizard you know. I'll go torpid in the cold. ^_^
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These are so interesting. They definitely make me want to know more about this! (Don't know how I missed this Monday.) Good job!
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^_^ Thanks.
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This story sounds like a really good read – I love to read about castles and the like.
And i'm always a sucker for lines like this:
Darkness ruled.
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Thank you.
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Now… you know I love your writing and these are no different. And not to sound cliche but I love them all. I think my fav is Ch. 5.
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